Phil Steele’s Preseason Top 25 Is Out — Where’s Notre Dame?

Steele is higher on Notre Dame than most other outlets entering 2025

(EDITORS NOTE: caption correction) Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Notre Dame's Coming Off True Return to Glory in 2024

College football preseason rankings are coming out by different outlets and we've seen Notre Dame viewed by most as a College Football Playoff threat again in 2025.

And really, why wouldn't it be?

It went to the National Championship Game last season and was a fourth-down stop of Ohio State from being in position to tie the game late. Notre Dame returns a ton from that team and has sky-high expectations entering 2025.

Phil Steele's Preseason Rankings

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Phil Steele has his annual preview magazine out, and based on his preseason rankings in them, he's higher on Notre Dame than most other outlets in 2025.

After ranking Penn State first and Clemson second, Steele ranks Notre Dame third in his preseason magazine. Most have had some combination of Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, and Georgia in the top four, so Notre Dame getting the preseason love is at least somewhat surprising.

Where Notre Dame's Opponents Rank in Steele's Top 25

Four of Notre Dame's 12 opponents in 2025 cracked Steele's preseason top 25, but none check in any higher than 14.

Miami (FL) is that team at 14 while Boise State is just one spot behind at 15. Texas A&M sneaks into Steele's preseason top 20 at No. 19 while USC received some preseason praise by Steele checking in at No. 22.

Steele releases two polls: one for his preseason rankings and then one how he thinks will actually finish the season ranked (power poll). In the power poll, he's even higher on Notre Dame, who he has No. 2 behind only Penn State. That would, of course, mean the Irish would lose to the Nittany Lions in the National Championship Game.

You can see Steele's entire preseason top 25 here.